About the Authors

Sebastio Perrini

Affiliation Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Section on Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Andrology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

Romina Ficarella

Affiliation Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Section on Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Andrology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

Ernesto Picardi

Affiliation Department of Biosciences, Biotechnology and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

Angelo Cignarelli

Affiliation Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Section on Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Andrology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

Maria Barbaro

Affiliation Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Section on Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Andrology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

Pasquale Nigro

Affiliation Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Section on Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Andrology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

Alessandro Peschechera

Affiliation Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Section on Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Andrology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

Orazio Palumbo

Affiliation Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy

Massimo Carella

Affiliation Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), Italy

Michele De Fazio

Affiliation Section on General Surgery and Liver Transplantation, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

Annalisa Natalicchio

Affiliation Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Section on Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Andrology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

Luigi Laviola

Affiliation Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Section on Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Andrology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

Graziano Pesole

Affiliations Department of Biosciences, Biotechnology and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy, Institute of Biomembranes and Bioenergetics, National Research Council, Bari, Italy

Francesco Giorgino

francesco.giorgino@uniba.it

Affiliation Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation, Section on Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Andrology and Metabolic Diseases, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy

Competing Interests

This study was partly funded by NovoNordisk. Francesco Giorgino is a PLOS ONE Editorial Board member. However, there are no patents, products in development or marketed products to declare. This does not alter the adherence of the authors to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials, as detailed online in the guide for authors.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: SP FG AN LL. Performed the experiments: RF EP. Analyzed the data: EP MC GP SP RF FG AN LL. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: AC MB PN AP OP MDF. Wrote the paper: SP FG.